Do we like Yoweri Museveni?
Our score: 2 out of 10. He signed a law with the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, and rights groups accuse his forces of a crackdown, with some real good (refugees, schooling, HIV) alongside.
Museveni has run Uganda since 1986, which makes him one of the longest-serving leaders in the world. AFP calls him an ex-revolutionary who fused state and party until a real challenge became effectively impossible. He also had the constitution changed twice to remove term and age limits.
The January 2026 election was the latest chapter. The Electoral Commission gave him 71.65 per cent to Bobi Wine's 24.72, under heavy security and a nationwide internet shutdown that authorities said was to curb misinformation. Wine's party rejected the result, alleging fake ballots and intimidation, and human rights groups have accused security forces of arbitrary arrests and excessive force. Museveni's camp rejects the fraud claims.
Now the harm check. In May 2023 he signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, after he had asked Parliament to strengthen the bill. Uganda's Constitutional Court upheld it in April 2024: aggravated homosexuality can carry the death penalty, and attempts carry up to 14 years. The UN rights chief cited nearly 600 reported rights violations in the first year.
When the World Bank froze new loans, he said it was “unfortunate that the World Bank and other actors dare to want to coerce us”. Some will read that as standing up to Western pressure. Where you land depends on whether you see sovereignty or a law that targets a minority. On this page, signing it is the harm, and the answer is clear.
On the planet, Human Rights Watch documented at least 30 arrests of oil-pipeline protesters and defenders since 2021, plus raids on civil society offices. Officials attributed NGO suspensions to non-compliance with the NGO Act. HRW also quotes Museveni warning he will not “allow anybody to play around” with the oil. Rights campaigners and the pipeline's critics don't buy the government's version.
The succession story is the live one. Reuters reports that Muhoozi, the army chief, has repeatedly threatened Bobi Wine, and that sources say he drove the post-election crackdown. Museveni has never said who follows him, only that his party will decide. In August 2026 Muhoozi said he'd run in 2031 with his father's support.